Autumn in Paris

Paris will have a busy autumn of dance, from William Forsythe at the Festival d’Automne to a new production of the musical An American in Paris with choreography by Christopher Wheeldon.

An American in Paris was created as a movie musical. The Oscar-winning spectacular of 1951 starred Gene Kelly as an American GI studying painting in Montmartre, where he falls in love with Lise, played by Leslie Caron. The new production will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, with designs by Bob Crowley. New York City Ballet’s Robert Fairchild will play Jerry, while Leanne Cope has taken a sabbatical from The Royal Ballet to play Lise. The show runs at the Théâtre du Châtelet from November 22 to January 4, before transferring to Broadway.

The Festival d’Automne, which runs from September 4 to December 31, includes a celebration of William Forsythe, as well as works by choreographers from Lucinda Childs to Maguy Marin. The Forsythe Company perform Study #3, which brings together material from the choreographer’s earlier works. The Semperoper Ballet and Lyon Opéra Ballet perform Forsythe programmes, and there will be performances by Forsythe collaborators Jone San Martin, Fabrice Mazliah and Ioannis Mandafounis. The Paris Opéra Ballet will also be dancing Forsythe this autumn, with revivals of Pas./parts (pictured) and Woundwork1.

Picture: dancers of the Paris Opéra Ballet in Pas./Parts. Photograph: Anne Deniau/Opéra national de Paris

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.